Somalia, whose regions are on the brink of famine, will face a situation “not seen in half a century” without greater international mobilization, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday. .
In August, 44,000 children were admitted to health facilities in Somalia for severe acute malnutrition, according to UNICEF.
This means that “every minute, a child is admitted to a health facility for treatment for severe acute malnutrition,” UNICEF spokesman James Elder said via video conference from Somalia.
Not to mention, he added, that many children do not even manage to reach the health centers due to the insecure conditions prevailing in the country.
Without greater financial support from the international community, “we will face the death of children on a scale not seen in half a century,” Elder said.
“Severely malnourished children are up to 11 times more likely to die from diarrhea and measles than well-nourished children. With such rates, Somalia is on the brink of a tragedy on a scale not seen in decades,” he insisted.
After four seasons of failed rains since the end of 2020 and with a fifth one promising to be similar from October, Somalia is sinking inexorably into famine.
Across the country, 7.8 million people, nearly half of the population, are affected by drought, of which 213,000 are in serious danger of starvation, according to the UN.
Without urgent action, a state of famine will be declared in the southern regions of Baidoa and Burhakaba between October and December, warned in early September the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Martin Griffiths.
According to him, the situation is worse than during the last famine in 2011, which killed 260,000 people, more than half of them children under five.
OCHA spokesman in Geneva, Jens Laerke, announced on Tuesday that the UN had revised upwards its appeal for funds for Somalia. The UN is now asking for US$2.26 billion (up from US$1.46 billion), 80% of which is for drought relief.
The response plan is also targeting more people, from 5.5 million at the start of the year to 7.6 million today. Prior to its review, the appeal was 72% funded, a relatively high rate compared to other humanitarian crises. It is now 45% funded, Laerke said.